Really short femur at 32 weeks

[nopun]

So this pregnancy has just been one problem after another - separate uterus, hyperemesis, placenta touching the cervix, constant thrush, and gestational diabetes just being some of the highlights. In all the scans baby's legs and arms were on the shorter side and head & abdomen on the larger. But at the 32 week scan the baby's femur measured on the 7th centile, whereas abdomen was on the 95th. Has anyone had experience of this? I'm small to average sized myself, but this just looks really worrying. The sonographer wasn't worried because the general trend was still there, and because it hadn't gone below 5th or able 95th centile - but it's so close! Should I be worrying about the possibility of dwarfism??? Any stories or reassurance would be so helpful.

Anyone?

@Natmumandmidwife have you come across this before? Should I be worried? Many thanks and sorry for tagging you - I just don't know who else to turn to.

I would say if the sonographer isn't worried and hasn't referred you to fetal medicine then I wouldn't be worrying either. I'd call your midwife for reassurance.

I think you need to check this out, it certainly is a possibility and you need to ask your midwife for an urgent referral to FMU. Sorry I don’t want to upset you but you need to ask an expert in real life.

Dd had a similar disparity between abdomen and the rest of the body, in her case her head was at the lower end of the scale and her abdomen off the centile scale the other end. I was seen quickly by an expert who scanned me for about an hour and a half, there was a genetic condition where organs are enlarged that they were particularly concerned about.
He said he thought all was fine, that it was just her shape...I remember laughing because someone there said “maybe she takes after you” and of course I looked like a ball as I was pregnant. (Normally have a small waist).
I really thought she would be born looking like a football with a golf ball on top, but she looked completely normal, her head is average, and she has a teeny tiny waist, so who knows why she was like that for a while in utero. When I had dd2 there were similar results at the same point, I just said “it’s ok, that is what my babies are like”.

So it may be just a blip, or a growth stage, but ask for a full check to reassure you.